Children of the Night
by Night Ryder711
Summary: At a young age, Hiccup, Jack, Merida and Rapunzel are taken, among others, from the Nightmare their lives had become. Ten years later, the four friends come back to the world they remember little of.
1. Prologue

**Authors Note: This is inspired by the YouTube video Children of the Night; the MLP version, but this will be a Big Four Fanfic.**

 **Disclaimer** **: I do not own MLP, Brave, Tangled, How to Train Your Dragon, Rise of the Guardians, the MLP fan clip or any other franchise I may use. They belong to their respective owners.**

 **Oh, and I don't have a beta, so any mistakes that I make are my own.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **XXX**

 **Children of the Night**

 **Prologue**

 _Our world changed before we really knew it. The lives that we took for granted were turned against us. The people we loved grew ever harsher. It was a time of terror for the people, but for the children in particular._

 _A darkness loomed always on the horizon, turning the days dark and nights darker still. Terror was like a plague among children at night and there it was where the nightmares sung His name and whispered it from the shadows:_

 _Pitch Black._

 _Very little do we now remember of the world we were once part of, the world outside the walls of shadows, yet I still remember the night our pleas were answered like it was yesterday, though it was countless moons ago._

 _No one knows we are still here, hidden and safe behind the walls of shadows with our dear mother watching over us._

 _For we are, and will forever be, her Children of the Night._

 **XXX**

It was the night of the full moon. A boy of about five years looked out the window. His name was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock. He was a small boy, far too thin and skinny to be a proper Viking. Freckles dotted his cheeks and nose and atop his head sat a mop of untamed auburn hair. Wide, tearful emerald eyes gazed up at the large moon in the sky. Exhaustion marked every line of his youthful face but Hiccup did not want to go to sleep. He did not want the Nightmares to come again and make him be scared.

Hiccup sniffled. He wanted his daddy, but he wanted him when he was happy and proud of Hiccup and never pushed him aside. He wanted his mummy too. He hadn't seen her since the scary dragons started coming. But his daddy said that his mummy wasn't coming back anymore.

That was when the Nightmares started – terrible Nightmares of his mummy being eaten by dragons. He wanted his daddy to stop the Nightmares, but his daddy never wanted to talk to him anymore and when he did, he would always tell Hiccup to be a proper Viking like him.

He blinked up at the moon, trying to hide the tears that sprung up in his eyes. _Vikings don't cry_ , he chanted to himself. His daddy always said that.

"I don't want to be scared anymore," he whispered. He pulled his knees to his chest and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I want the Nightmares to stop. I want my daddy. I want my mommy. I want to go away where the Nightmares can't reach me."

Far above him, the moon watched and listened, silent and still.

 **XXX**

A five year old child with a mass of red, untamed, curly hair gasped as she woke. She was shaking and tears poured down her face. She sobbed quietly as she staggered over to her window. Quietly; because she knew her mother wouldn't care. She never cared about Merida anymore, not since the last time they saw Merida's father.

She could remember it, arriving back at the camp just as a black, heavily scarred bear burst forth from the forest. Her mother had grabbed Merida and fled as her father commanded them to do. But Merida could still see as her father rushed to meet the scary bear in battle.

That had been the last time she had seen her father. Her mother had sent search parties, but only a leg was found of King Fergus. Since her father's death, her mother had been distant with Merida, never having time for her or being mean and strict when she did. Merida was always doing things wrong.

She pressed her face into the cool glass, her breath fogging up the window. The moon loomed before her, big and comforting with its gentle light. Merida watched it even as more tears fell down her cheeks.

"Why did you leave, daddy?" She sobbed. "I miss you."

The moon was silent.

"I'm scared," Merida admitted tearfully. "I don't want to see the Nightmare anymore. I don't want to make mother hate me. I want to leave."

Again, the moon offered no reply to the small child.

 **XXX**

A boy, seeming to be around six years, staggered up to his room. The beating had been even worse than usual. Jack could barely stand up. He couldn't move his right wrist, his left eye was swollen and closed, blood poured from his nose and a cut on his upper lip. His right side hurt.

He collapsed next to his window, unable to walk any further. Muffled sobs escaped his small, abused frame. It hurt. Why did it always hurt? Wasn't he good enough?

Soft light fell on his face and brown eyes opened slowly to stare at the moon. It was full tonight. Jack leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the cold glass. He wanted his dad to be proud of him, to stop hitting him and saying cold worlds that hit Jack like a knife. He wanted his mum; she always made Jack feel better. He was scared and he hurt all over and he wanted it to stop.

His tired eyes closed under the watchful gaze of the silent moon. Soon he would fall asleep and the Nightmares would come and make him relive his torment just as he deserved.

"Make it stop," Jack whispered brokenly, not sure to who it was that he was pleading with. "Make the pain stop. Make the fear go away," he wiped away the blood still running from his face with his good hand. "Please make the pain stop."

The moon said nothing, but soft light continued to fall upon the boy as he slipped into unconsciousness.

 **XXX**

A young girl, only five years of age, tip toed past her Mother Gothels bedroom. Golden hair fell around the dainty child in waves and slithered along the floor as the girl crept quietly. She didn't want to wake her mother – she didn't want to make her mad. And Rapunzel knew that she would be mad, and would punish Rapunzel for sneaking around at night.

A small hand reached up and gingerly traced a cheek. Rapunzel had been shocked and hurt when Mother first laid a hand on her. But her Mother had changed and the violence didn't stop there. She often hit Rapunzel, taking her anger and hate out on her. The only thing she ever cared about now was Rapunzel's magic hair and she would force Rapunzel to sing and heal her.

Rapunzel would do as she bid, desperate to pleas the woman she admired and loved. Tonight, however, the Nightmare had been worse than it usually was and had shaken Rapunzel to her core. She could still fear the fear even now coursing through her. Even though Rapunzel could not go outside, she found watching the world and the sky always made her relax, though the world had seemed to grow ever darker as of late.

The young girl pushed open the window but froze when it creaked. She glanced in the direction of her mother's bedroom, terrified of her reaction when she found out that Rapunzel was out of bed when she wasn't supposed to be and disobeying one of her orders.

Minutes passed and still her mother's terrifying figure didn't darken the doorstep and Rapunzel found the courage to move her arms again. She was even more careful to make no sound this time and she pushed the window fully open without another sound.

Cold air streamed in and Rapunzel stood on her tippy toes so that she could raise her head fully above the bottom window still. Her wide, green eyes stared at the moon and she rested her head on her arms. She could see the clearing her tower was hidden in, but beyond the walls of stone, Rapunzel couldn't see. She sighed, feeling only more trapped and helpless and afraid than before.

"I want to go outside," she whispered, keeping her voice low so that she would not disturb her mother. "I don't want to be punished anymore."

Her innocent eyes stared up at the moon, the confusion and pain and fear evident in her eyes. She rested her head back on her arms. "I want to leave," she admitted fearfully, her voice lowering even further, terrified of even the littlest chance that Mother Gothel could hear her.

The night sky was silent and the moon watched as the sweet child was lured to sleep by the gentle wind and soft rays of the moon.

 **XXX**

A figure hovered high in the air above the four Kingdoms. The moonlight softly illuminated her dark blue skin. Darker still, her wings fluttered in the night sky. Flowing blue hair cascaded down her back, blowing gently in the wind. Like the night sky, her hair sparkled, reflecting the stars in her night. Her eyes were closed.

For countless moons, she had slept, undisturbed. But the Man in Moon had awoken her as the fearful cries of the sweet children reached high. Where there was supposed to be golden sand dancing around, the sand darkened, turned black. The children's worst fears were brought forth and the sand formed into a terrifying horse, made entirely of the Nightmare sand.

She could feel the fear even from where she hovered as the Nightmares chased the children through their dreams. Her features remained composed, but she was not content. Her night was supposed to be a time of peace, where the children's dreams were formed.

Luna could feel her power coursing through her veins, stronger now with the full moon behind her. Her eyes still closed, Luna opened her mouth and began to sing.

 _"_ _Come little children, I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment,"_

Her hauntingly alluring voice reached for only those who wished to escape the world they knew.

 _"_ _Come little children, the times come to play,"_

Her power swept, unstoppable, among the four Kingdoms. She banished the fear when they came at her unyielding power.

 _"_ _Here in my garden of shadows,"_

Her eyes opened, glowing pure white as she called on her power and Luna felt as those still awake slumped unconscious where they were standing.

 _"_ _Follow sweet children, I'll show thee the way,"_

Unseen, she angled her wings and flew down, swooping until she was above one of the four Kingdoms. As she flew past the buildings, the candles and torches lighting the streets and houses blew out.

 _"_ _Through all the pain and the sorrows,"_

The windows and doors opened by the same power, and the children it called too woke. They followed the strange power calling them and saw first the moon, gleaming even brighter in the night sky. Blue light surrounded them, and the neglected and fearful children of Corona found themselves lifting into the sky.

 _"_ _Weep not poor children, for life is this way,"_

Luna continued on to the next Kingdom with the children of Corona following in her wake. She didn't pause as her magic continued to enchant and claim the children of Dunbroch.

 _"_ _Murdering beauty and passions,"_

She could feel the fear escaping them now as they were carried along in the Night. They laughed, carefree for the first time in a long time and Luna felt her heart melt for her children.

 _"_ _Hush now dear children, it must be this way,"_

Burgess was the same and more children joined hers, still glowing blue from her power and the moons enchantment. Luna kept her voice strong, not faltering as she flew for the last Kingdom.

 _"_ _Too weary of life and deceptions,"_

She landed gently at the last Kingdom, Berk. One by one, the lights were blown out and it was only her moons light that lit the way.

 _"_ _Rest now my children, for soon we'll away,"_

The door opened and a single child, a boy, came out. Less children heard her song in this Kingdom, but there were still a few who joined her children in the sky after the boy. Luna cast a loving glance over her shoulder at the sweet innocent children she would protect. A little more than a hundred were there, glowing blue as they were carried along behind her.

 _"_ _Into the calm and the quiet,"_

With the children under her enchantment, Luna opened her wings and jumped into the sky, shooting up until she flapped hard to stay hovering in the air, letting her children catch up to her.

 _"_ _Come little children, I'll take thee away,"_

She lead the way slowly, with the children eagerly following her, leading them over clouds and through the air as she made for the moon, where she and her children would stay.

 _"_ _Into a land of enchantment,"_

A child, with messy auburn hair and wide, emerald green eyes came up to her, and Luna gently carried him in her arms. She pressed her forehead against his, silently promising to keep him and the rest of her children from all harm.

 _"_ _Come little children, the times come to play,"_

She released him and watched over her shoulder as he joined her other children behind her. She turned her head but to the front, to the moon in the sky. She held her head high.

 _"_ _Here in my garden of shadows,"_

Luna dove, heading straight for the waiting moon with the children behind her. As they came closer, shadows wrapped around their bodies and they vanished into the moon.

 **XXX**

The royals in the four divided Kingdoms awoke, feeling something amiss in their Kingdoms but all they would see was the silent moon in the sky. And for many years, the mystery of the missing children would remain unsolved.

 **XXX**

 **Authors Note: I just wanted to make sure you knew, but not all the children in the Kingdom were taken by Luna. Only those who were neglected or abused or wanted to get away from the Nightmare their life had become. Only those could hear her song. Why their life became a Nightmare, I'll make that clear in the later chapters. Anyways, the next chapter will hopefully be up soon. Can't make any promises though ;) If I've missed anything, or made a mistake, please let me know. Oh, and reviews, follows and favourites are all greatly appreciated.**

 **Thank you.**

 **-Night Ryder711**


	2. Chapter One

**Authors Note: So I saw Civil War and I loved it! It was amazing. One of Marvels best, I think. I can't wait for the next movie. Anyway, here's chapter one, so read on.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **XXX**

 **Children of the Night**

 **Chapter One**

 _10 years later_

The moon was high as five figures slipped unnoticed through the silent Kingdom. The streets were deserted and the light was weak, leaving the streets in near darkness. Even so, the five never strayed from the shadows and the cloaks four of them wore blended their figures perfectly into the shadows.

The fifth one, who was significantly larger than the others, moved with an inhumane gracefulness. Scales, as back as night, simmered as the beast moved. Bat-like wings folded at its side, and a tail swung from side to side as the dragon moved forward with deadly precision. Ear-flaps twitched, listening intently for any sound because this world was new and the dangers were unknown and toxic green eyes looked out at the world.

Closest to it, a teenager of about 15 years of age stood. Covered by his hood, messy auburn hair sat atop his freckled face. Similar to the dragon at his side, his eyes were of emerald green. His body was small, his arms weak, but he moved with grace. His eyes kept the four other figures in constant sight. When his dragon twitched, a pale hand reached out instinctively to calm the dragon.

The next figure was slim and petite under her cloak, yet she carried an air of power the same as the auburn haired boy. She looked to be about 16 years old. Safely hidden, her golden hair was braided with many flowers through it and the ends of the plait reached her feet. Her large green eyes looked out at the Kingdom in wonder, for she out of the group had wanted to see the world the most.

The next teenager was a female, of about the same age as the golden haired one. Her hidden hair was a fiery red, matching her temper, and was a mess of curls all down her back. Across her back was slung a wooden bow and arrows, her weapon for as long as she could remember. Her blue eyes darted from building to building might she miss something. Her gait was smooth and sure as she made her way through the night's shadows.

The last figure was a male, this time seeming to be around seventeen years old, the oldest of the four teenagers. His gait was easy and smooth as he walked unheeded in the dark. He was the tallest of the group and had a lanky figure with pale skin. His eyes were brown and they were warm and seemed to almost sparkle with mischievous. Messy hair, as brown as his eyes, sat on his head and strands spilled out from under his hood.

The five figures knew nought where they had ended up, but they had wanted to see the world they remembered little of.

The group of five stopped, almost as if they were one. They shared a glance.

"This is not what I expected it to be," the golden-haired one, Rapunzel, admitted. She looked around the darkened street they had stopped in. It was completely deserted. Even this late at night, there should be some signs of life.

The other three didn't get a chance to answer. A loud neigh came from above them and they looked up as a terrifying horse pranced outside a locked and covered window. The horse was covered in black and his body seemed to be constantly – shifting? Its golden eyes glowed with menace.

Though they had not seen on before, they all knew very well what that was. A Nightmare. One of Pitch Blacks creations.

Barely a second passed before the fiery red-haired one, Merida, whipped out her bow and shot an arrow at the Nightmare. The flying arrow hit its mark, as they all knew it would. Merida was one the best archers in the land.

The Nightmare exploded as soon as the arrow hit it mark and black sand fell on the heads of the four teenagers and the dragon.

Merida lowered her bow, satisfied. The brown haired one, Jack, whistled in applause. "Nice."

Two more loud neighs caught their attention and the five turned to see two more Nightmares at the end of the street. Rapunzel gasped. The black dragon, Toothless, growled, curling his tail protectively around the auburn haired boy.

The Nightmares were pawing at the ground and looking hatefully at the group of five, eyeing Merida most of all. Merida bared her teeth back at them.

The Nightmares charged.

This time, Merida didn't shoot them with an arrow. The auburn haired boy, Hiccup, placed a gentle head on the growling reptile. "Barrel roll, bud," he said quietly.

Toothless roared and spread his wings. He pushed himself into the air and into a quick barrel roll and as he rolled he released two purple plasma blasts. The intense, concentrated purple fire raced towards its target and the Nightmares exploded in black sand and purple fire.

Toothless landed. Jack whistled again as the dragon crooned and Hiccup praised him.

"Good job, bud." Toothless purred.

A door opened down the street. The glow from within illuminated the dark street. There was a woman standing in the doorway. She beckoned to them urgently.

"You need to come inside," she said urgently. "It's dangerous being out this late at night."

The teenagers looked among themselves, unsure, Jack most of all. Something deep inside him wanted him to trust this woman, though he wasn't sure why.

"Quick," she hissed. "Before more come."

That did it. They all knew that if more were to come, Toothless and Merida couldn't hold them at bay forever. The teenagers hurried for the woman and her house. Toothless went in first. He had trouble at first; only his head fit through the doorway and Hiccup downright refused to leave his best friend out in the street. Eventually, with some manoeuvring, they managed to wiggle Toothless in with some body shifting and lifting. The woman spent the entire time shooting looks at both ends of the streets.

Jack was the last to enter the house. His feet hovered over the edge of the threshold. There was still something that told him that this Kingdom – this woman, it was all familiar. And that scared Jack.

"Come," the woman pleaded and Jack looked into her eyes, her warm, brown eyes, and he stepped into the warm, comforting house with his friends. Behind him, the door was slammed closed.

 **XXX**

 **Authors Note: I think the next chapters will be one of their P. and it will switch between the four of them. The chapters short, and I feel like it's not my best work, but it gets to the point, which is what I wanted. I've just been a little bit sick and not feeling my best but I'll get better and hopefully so will my chapters. Anyway, thank for the reviews and follows and favourites. I'm glad you're liking my story. To be honest, I kind of thought no one would.**

 **-Night Ryder711**


	3. Chapter Two

**Authors Note: I am so sorry for those I kept waiting, I honesty did not mean to take this long to update and I hope you can all forgive me. I know this chapter is only short but I hope you all still like it.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **XXX**

 **Children of the Night**

 **Chapter Two**

As soon as the last person had stepped inside the house, the woman shut the door. While she locked and bolted it, Jack, Hiccup, Merida and Rapunzel looked around the dark room they found themselves in, throwing their dark hoods off their faces.

Since their eyes were already adjusted to the dark, the teenagers could make out that they were in an open space, with a lounge and chair. Off to the side of the chairs, a cold fireplace sat. Further down the room, a staircase lead up into the higher levels of the house. The few windows that framed the wall had been covered.

Finally, the woman – who had been peeking out at the street from behind one of the closed curtains – let the curtains fall back and turned to face the four teenagers.

"It's safe," she said. "For now."

She crossed over to the other side of the room and a second later, light flooded the room. Jack, Hiccup, Rapunzel and Merida all squinted their eyes at the harsh light.

The woman was standing next to the source of the light; a lantern. She had brown hair and equally dark eyes with fair skin. Dark circles ran under her eyes. She shook her head at them. "I don't know what you lot were _thinking_ , wandering around at night. Why weren't you all in your homes? Don't you know it's not _safe_?"

"We were just visiting," Merida said, in her heavy Scottish accent. "This is our first time in Burgess."

"What about you're parents? Do they you're out at this hour?"

"We don't have parents," Hiccup piped in. "We came alone."

The woman pursed her lips. "Even so, you should have known to be inside at this time. This dark time… It's been going on for at least ten years. In _all_ four Kingdoms.

The four shared a glance. "We aren't from around here," Rapunzel explained hesitantly.

"There's a rule, here in Burgess," the woman told them. "In the day, you go on with your normal life but as soon as that sun starts to go down, you lock up everything and you carry on with your life inside the safety of your house and you _never_ _go outside_."

"What happens if you go outside?" Hiccup dared to ask.

"Terrible, terrible things." The woman said. "They say your worst fear comes to life right before your eyes, and you can do nothing to stop it. The darkness gets to you, and you can feel the _hatred_ coming from the darkness all around you, and you feel _cold_ , and _alone_ and all you know is _fear."_ Softly, she added, "those people who venture outside; they're never the same."

"Those things that attacked you; we call them Nightmares. They roam the streets at night, looking for prey. They bring the nightmares and the fear to the children, even to the grown-ups."

"We can fight them," Merida said, her sense of justice and freedom pulsing through her. "We'll drive them all away."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "You look like you're only sixteen."

"Around that age, yeah," Jack said.

"We may not look like much," Hiccup was the first to admit. "But we can take care of ourselves." Toothless growled in agreement.

"You took down those two Nightmares easily enough," the woman agreed, not looking the least bit phased by Toothless. "But can you fight hundreds of them?" She shook her head before they had a chance to answer. "No, you can't. And if you try, you'll only make things worse for yourselves and the whole Kingdom. Then _he'll_ know about you."

"He?" Hiccup questioned.

The woman hesitated. "Pitch Black. I haven't seen him," she admitted, "but people have been saying that's he's been behind all this fear."

"Mama?" A sleepy voice asked. The four teenagers, woman and dragon looked simultaneously to the stiarcase, where a little girl stood. Looking to be about seven years old, she was clutching a worn teddy bear in her arms. Tussled brown hair fell around her head.

She blinked her beautiful brown blearily at the strangers in her home. "Who are they?"

The woman gathered the girl in her arms and smiled tenderly at her. "Pippa, sweetie, these are-" she stopped short, not knowing their names.

"Merida," the Scottish girl introduced for her.

"Rapunzel," the girl came next, twirling in a circle so that her long hair flowed through the air. The little girl giggled and reached out to touch it.

"Hiccup," The boy said. He nudged his dragon. "And this is Toothless, my dragon."

"Jack," the last of the four said. He was barely aware of what he was saying – his mind seemed to be in a different state. There was something about this family, this house and this Kingdom but the more he tried to remember the more it slipped away from him.

Pippa waved shyly at them.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Her mother admonished gently. Pippa looked up at her, her bottom lip starting to quiver. "I'm scared, mama. I don't want to be alone."

"Oh, sweetie," the mother said, bringing her daughter in even closer. "I'm right here," she promised. "I won't let anything happen to you, okay?"

Pippa nodded into her chest. Her mother pushed her back, just enough so that she could brush a strand of hair behind her ear. "You can sleep in my room if you want." Pippa was nodding before she finished. Her mother smiled slightly. "You go up and I'll be along in just a moment, okay? I just have to take care of a few things down here."

She kissed Pippa on her forehead. "Now, off to bed with you." She watched as her daughter left the room and a distant look came into her eye. She sighed. "Night was never really the safest of times. But now, all that comes with it is darkness and fear."

Silence hung in the air after her statement. Jack, Hiccup nor Merida really knew what to say to that. It was Rapunzel who broke the silence and brought the woman out of her thoughts.

"Pippa is a lovely name," Rapunzel said sweetly. "And she is very sweet."

"Yes, she is,' the mother agreed. She started, only just realising that she hadn't properly introduced herself. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Emily. Emily Overland."

Jack felt his heart race when he heard the woman's name. Some part of him felt like he should know that name… That it meant something important… But whatever it meant, Jack couldn't grasp it.

"It's nice to meet you, Ma'am," he said politely. The others copied suit.

"I think it's time we'd best be off," Merida said. "But we do promise to not fight any more Nightmares."

"And where will you stay?" The mother asked, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at them. "It's your first time in Burgess and your parents aren't here to take care of you."

Jack shrugged. "We'll think of something."

Emily stared at them, the four teenagers in their black cloaks and the ebony dragon and she shook her head. "No. I insist you stay here. For the night, at least."

"We couldn't let you do that," Hiccup protested.

"What kind of mother would I be if I let children out at this hour in such dangerous times?" She levelled a stern stare at Hiccup, Rapunzel, Merida and Jack, the kind that told them there would be no arguing (something that she had surely picked up as a mother).

"You can sleep in-"something caught in her throat and she stopped. A flash of sorrow twisted her features but it was gone before they really knew it was there. "I have a room that you all can sleep in," she continued, like nothing had happened. "But the dragon will have to stay here. He won't fit."

Hiccup raised his hand to the flat of Toothless' head to comfort him when he crooned sadly. "Sorry, bud," he murmured.

"He'll be fine," Emily assured Hiccup. "There's plenty of space and the room isn't far away. He's welcome, as long as he doesn't burn the house down." She grinned tiredly. "With him here, I might be able to get a good night's sleep. He'll scare those Nightmares off, no problem." She smiled hesitantly at the ebony dragon. Toothless crooned back at her, catching her off-guard.

"Thank you," Rapunzel said sincerely.

"Don't worry about it, dear." Emily turned to look at her door, still bolted and locked. "Night just isn't safe for any of us anymore."

She turned away. "Come along now. I'll show you where you'll sleep."

 **XXX**

 **Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed or favourited my story! It means a lot to me. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Don't forget to leave a review telling me what you thought of this chapter!**

 **-Night Ryder711**


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